Air Fryer Fried Chicken
Air Fryer Fried Chicken delivers 38g protein and 448 calories per serving across 10 batches, making it the highest-yield prep in this collection. Quick-preps on the stovetop, so you can produce 380g total protein in one session for structured meal prep. Built for efficiency: one cook session covers 2–3 days of lunches or dinners.
Ingredients
- •Chicken Breast, Boneless Skinless(1361g)
- •Paprika, Smoked(10g)
- •1/2 tsp black pepper ($0.08)
- •Garlic powder(10g)
- •Onion powder(10g)
- •Oregano, Dried(10g)
- •Cayenne Pepper, Ground(5g)
- •1 Tbsp salt ($0.09)
- •Buttermilk, Cultured, Low-Fat(240g)
- •Egg, Whole, Large(50g)
- •Flour, All-Purpose, White(480g)
- •Cornstarch(60g)
- •Baking powder(10g)
- •1 tsp salt ($0.03)
- •Onion powder(3g)
- •Garlic powder(3g)
- •Cooking spray (per 1-second spray)(57g)
Non-stick spray (PAM or store brand). Saves calories vs. pouring oil.
Instructions
- 1Mix the smoked paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, buttermilk, and egg in a large bowl.
- 2Place chicken in the bowl and mix until all of the chicken is covered. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the chicken. Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably 2 hours.
- 3Preheat your air-fryer to 300°F. Mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Remove one piece of chicken from the brine, shake off the excess brine, and dredge it in the flour mixture. Set it aside and repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.
- 4Spray cooking oil in your air fryer basket until it is completely covered. Place the chicken in the basket in a single layer, making sure no pieces overlap. Spray the top of the chicken with cooking oil until thoroughly covered. Cook for 20 minutes at 300°F.
- 5Carefully flip the chicken pieces so as not to destroy the crust. Spray the top surface of the chicken again with cooking oil until thoroughly covered.
- 6Cook for 15 to 20 minutes at 400°F, or until chicken skin is crispy and golden and the internal temperature is 160°F. Insert the thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken without touching the bone. Then try not to eat that crispy skin before serving. Forgive yourself if you fail miserably!
Nutrition — Per Serving
448
calories
38g
protein
11g
fat
- Carbohydrates
- 47g
- Saturated fat
- 2.1g
- Sodium
- 177 mg
- Dietary fiber
- 2.6g
10 servings per batch · ~231g each
Macro data sourced from USDA FoodData Central
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How much protein does Air Fryer Fried Chicken have per serving?
Each serving delivers 38g of protein and 448 calories with 11g fat and 47g carbs. This macro profile makes it a solid mid-range protein option for daily meal prep.
How long does Air Fryer Fried Chicken take to prep and how many servings?
Quick prep time with 10 servings per batch means you're efficiently covering most of a week's worth of dinners or lunch proteins in one cooking session. That scales to roughly 4.5g of active time per meal.
Is Air Fryer Fried Chicken good for muscle gain?
At 38g protein per serving, this recipe is better suited as a supporting protein rather than your primary muscle-building meal. Pair it with another high-protein option to hit 60g+ protein targets in a single sitting.
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